Robert Lau Hoi Chiew (; 15 September 1942 – 9 April 2010) was a Malaysian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He represented

Sibu Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of , the city is positioned at the conf ...

in the

Parliament of Malaysia The Parliament of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's As ...

from 1990 until his death in 2010, and served as Deputy Minister of Transport from April 2009 until his death. Lau was also a vice-president of the

Sarawak United Peoples' Party The Sarawak United Peoples' Party ( abbrev: SUPP; ) is a multiracial local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hian. He succeeded the post from his predecessor, Peter Chin Fah Kui in 2014. Establish ...

(SUPP).

Background

Lau was born to a poor family and his mother died when he was three years old. He was schooled at

St Michael's College, Adelaide St Michael's College is a Catholic school in the Lasallian tradition located in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The college consists of two campuses; a primary campus located at Beverley for students in Reception to Year 6, an ...

and studied accountancy at the South Australia Institute of Technology (now the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are ...

). In Australia he met his wife, Kapitan Dato' Janet Lau Ung Hie. He had three children with his wife; Alvin Lau Lee Ren (eldest son), Tammy Lau Lee Teng (daughter) and Pierre Lau Lee Wui (son). His political career began in 1983 when he joined SUPP. He first contested a Parliamentary election in the

1990 Malaysian general election General elections were held in Malaysia on 20 and 21 October 1990. Voting took place in all 180 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant house of Parliament. State elect ...

, winning the seat of Sibu against a

Democratic Action Party The Democratic Action Party (DAP; ) is a social democracy, social democratic and Secularism, secular political party in Malaysia, sitting on the Centre-left politics, centre-left of the political spectrum. As one of four component parties of ...

candidate by a majority of 2,008 votes. He defended the seat in four further elections.

Death

Lau died of

bile duct cancer Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stoo ...

(cholangiocarcinoma) in his home in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

on 9 April 2010. His remains arrived in Sibu at night on the same day. His funeral was held on 11 April 2010. The funeral began with a procession around the Sibu town and a requiem mass. His body was later buried at

Nirvana Memorial Park Nirvana Memorial Park (Chinese: 富貴山莊~~私營風景墓園) is a private cemetery and mortuary in Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. The longest dragon statue in Malaysia is located here. It is 1,000 feet long and serves as a columbarium. It is ...

.Datuk Robert Lau's Remains Arrive In Sibu
Bernama

Election results

Honours

* : ** Commander of the

Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

(PGBK) – Datuk (2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau Hoi Chew, Robert 1942 births 2010 deaths Sarawak politicians Deaths from liver cancer in Malaysia Malaysian Roman Catholics Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent Commanders of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak Sarawak United Peoples' Party politicians University of South Australia alumni Members of the Dewan Rakyat Malaysian MPs 1990–1995 Malaysian MPs 1995–1999 Malaysian MPs 1999–2004 Malaysian MPs 2004–2008 Malaysian MPs 2008–2013